Why Must Read An Illustrated Guide to Tactical Diagramming: How to Determine Floor Plans from Outside Architectural Features?

I was a member of the Berlin Brigade from 1981 to 1984 and US Army doctrine for fighting in cities could be summed up in one word: DON'T! Like assaulting trench lines, the US Army considered fighting in cities to be wasteful, damaging to the Army's public image, and unnecessary. Fortunately, Field Manual 90-10-1 Military Operations on Urbanized Terrain was published in August 1979. I had some old World War Two handbooks (at least one published by Britain's Home Guard) and historical accounts of combat in Berlin, but FM 90-10-1 covered much, much more. Included were details on building construction and how to turn a city block into a fortress. "Tactical Diagramming" is sort of an FM 90-10-1 for law enforcement. There is a lot of material inside and despite the length of this review I didn't cover every feature. The emphasis is on interior floor plan--but site plan and surrounding areas are covered in details that only a carpenter could appreciate--until that information is vital to success. The humble placement of vents can be critical when trying to cut a hole in a wall (vents are usually metal and reinforced compared to the rest of the wall) or when using tear gas. Wouldn't it be a good idea to refrain from shooting bullets at the area containing the natural gas line for the water heater, the oven/stove, and the main furnace? Multiple editions of FM 90-10-1 are available through Amazon and I recommend one of them in addition to Sid Heal's "Tactical Diagramming." Police operations and military operations are different, with different rules and different circumstances. Or they should be--trying to be both peace keeper (cop) and war fighter (soldier) in the same mission will only lead to grief. Yes, soldiers are often tasked with police work and police sometimes are used for war fighting. The forgotten stand-offs with Charles Whitman in Austin Texas (1966), Mark Essex in New Orleans (1973), the SLA in Los Angeles (1974), the Branch Davidian debacle at Waco (1993), the North Hollywood Bank of America shoot-out (1997) all happened too rapidly for military special forces intervention--though some military support was present in those cases police were the tool used because they were there. SWAT was developed as a bridge between the street cop on patrol and sending in the Marines to restore order. "Tactical Diagramming" is an excellent tool for police work. I have never been a sworn law enforcement officer but as a security guard it's quite comforting to know what's bullet-proof and what's fire proof. How do I find my way around in a strange building as a security guard? Where are the exits? Windows? Hot water heaters, climate control machinery and elevator machinery are potential flash points for fire or flooding. Just routine patrolling of warehouses requires knowing where the fire alarms and sprinkler controls are located. What happens in an earthquake? Building construction determines what's the safest place to shelter until the world stops shaking--and where to look for trouble. "Tactical Diagramming" covers more and from a viewpoint of planning police raids. Prior to authorizing a raid (and beyond the scope of "Tactical Diagramming") the raid's focus and potential fall-out must be recognized. Sometimes, as in active shooter incidents, the situation unfolds too rapidly for traditional prior planning--and that is one place that "Tactical Diagramming" can proactively assist in. American buildings are usually built to code--the exceptions are buildings pre-dating the current codes. Housing, whether private homes or public shelters, have to follow guidelines and be inspected by city officials--fire marshals at minimum. Public buildings have more rigid codes because of disasters such as the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. Specific codes will have to be researched, especially by the SWAT team and by the trainers for police agencies. Simple things like energy conservation's effect on window glass or on door construction have tactical implications for police raids. Why raid the tiger's den? "Tactical Diagramming" is valuable in avoiding lawsuits for stupid law enforcement practices--for taking unnecessary risks. Sid Heal's background as a construction trades worker may have been more valuable than his military experience and vast amount of police work in writing "Tactical Diagramming." The second chapter is Terrain Analysis and mentions lighting. Weather and lighting are not always taught in military terrain analysis because academics are academics and often don't have real-world experience. Sid Heal does. His step-by-step process of diagramming buildings includes finding the correct address (The Urban Landscape, Chapter 3) and assessing the effects of "location" on police operations. How many horror stories have you heard of where SWAT went to the wrong address and killed innocent people? Were you aware of how urban terrain affects radio communications? Even today there are cell phone dead spots in cities--two way digital FM radios are more limited than are cell phones. Radio issues were a problem when the World Trade Center was destroyed by two deliberate airliner crashes--often, fire fighters and police in the same building were out of communications. Chapter 4, Housing Trends, covers subjects such as age ("One of he first steps in tactical diagramming a house is to estimate its age."--page 39), economic and political influences on floor plans. Never forget that you're in an urban forest--houses are trees and there are many trees in a forest. The bad guys may have allies in the neighborhood and when planning police operations there's more than the objective to consider. Page 43 also has a sidebar detailing the appliances and technologies installed in new homes. "Smile, you're on candid camera!" When 23.3% of new homes have perimeter security systems and 4.6% of new homes have whole house video systems and 7.2% of new homes have whole house audio systems, doesn't it pay to take into account the possibility that your agency's raid team will be on the news in minutes? That the suspects may wind up convicted--yet still have enough admissible evidence to lodge criminal and civil charges against your agency and individual police officers for misconduct? Imagine the political fall-out if someone--anyone--utters a profane racist remark inside the private home being raided. How soon before a full-blown revolt in your city explodes? Note that most large businesses now have pervasive video surveillance--it's a factor for us "rent-a-cops" in private security. The potential for hostile video (and audio) surveillance technology isn't extensively developed in "Tactical Diagramming," but there's plenty in here already. Page 163 starts a discussion of 35mm film cameras versus digital cameras--there's a real-time combat information advantage with digital gear in that the film must first be processed but a digital camera can send pictures to multiple users in real time. It isn't fair of me to suggest that animals and robots have to be considered today--"Tactical Diagramming" is big enough just doing floor plans. Still, it's a good idea to note any animal cages, stables or kennels at or near the objective. Anybody have nightmares about encountering ornamental animals such as swans? Dogs are well-known, but at least one celebrity kept three pet tigers in his home. Drones ranging in size from the Global Hawk to little kids toys may be weaponized--and the diagramming process is an important countermeasure much like determining fields of observation and gunfire from the layouts of rooms and buildings. It's not just Dirty Harry's "Dead Pool" that puts bombs in remote-control cars; booby traps are already an issue for SWAT teams. A building diagram and a case history and a law enforcer with experience in Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) can point out the most likely locations for booby traps--and the mobile booby trap. Can't draw a straight line with a ruler? Look to Appendix C on page 191 for free and user-friendly diagramming software. "Free is good," and public agency budgets are limited. In the back of the book is an ad for a tactical diagramming CD. Along with a table of contents, there's an index. I'd like to see a table of illustrations--there are many fine photographs (black and white) and line drawings that enhance the value of "Tactical Diagramming" as a teaching and planning tool. I mentioned that there were exceptions to diagramming. If you're planning on storming a fun house or a museum, be aware that the floor plans in these "public places" are often deliberately convoluted to enhance their entertainment value. I often complain that the meandering pathways in apartment complexes and some buildings make foot patrols in those buildings unnecessarily difficult because sight lines are obscured and distances increased--at a slower speed. "Tactical Diagramming" is good for structures adhering to the rules--be aware that the rule book doesn't apply everywhere. What if a drug lab were established in an abandoned amusement park? Raids are characterized by surprise, speed, and violent execution. Be sure that your SWAT cops are not the surprised party!